Preparatory

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Preparatory \Pre*par"a*to*ry\, a. [L. praeparatorius: cf. F.
     pr['e]paratoire.]
     Preparing the way for anything by previous measures of
     adaptation; antecedent and adapted to what follows;
     introductory; preparative; as, a preparatory school; a
     preparatory condition.


     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  preparatory
       adj : preceding and preparing for something; "preparatory steps"
             [syn: {preparative}, {propaedeutic}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  38 Moby Thesaurus words for "preparatory":
     antecedent, anterior, basic, before, chief, elementary, essential,
     exordial, first, foremost, fundamental, headmost,
     in preparation for, inaugural, inductive, initiatory, introductory,
     leading, opening, precedent, preceding, precessional, precursory,
     prefatory, prelim, preliminary, preludial, prelusive, preparative,
     prerequisite, prevenient, primary, prior, proemial, propaedeutic,
     provident, provisional, rudimentary